At least 145 persons are said to have been killed in bandits’ attacks on 23 villages in Plateau State.

The assailants reportedly killed 113 persons in 20 villages in Bokkos Local Government Area and 32 in three villages in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the villages were attacked from Saturday night to the early hours of Monday.

The attacks were also said to have left hundreds of people injured and property destroyed.

Areas affected included Ruku, Hurum, Darwat, Mai Yanga Sabo and NTV villages in the Gashish and Ropp districts.

The Transition Committee Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, Monday Kassah, confirmed the incident to reporters yesterday.

When contacted for reaction, the spokesman for the state police command, Alabo Alfred, did not respond to text messages sent to him by our correspondent.

But Captain Oya James, spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, a security taskforce maintaining peace in the state, confirmed the attacks.

He, however, said he could not confirm the casualty figures at the moment, but said the situation had been brought under control.

“For now, the situation has been brought under control. More reinforcement has been deployed in the affected communities. But I don’t have the figure of casualty at the moment,” James told one of our correspondents.

A humanitarian worker who spoke in confidence said they counted over 180 dead bodies from the attacks.